We would all like to wake up with loads of energy, but the reality is that every now and then we feel quite down feeling lifeless. Now you may have had a bad night’s sleep, but the following things could also be the culprit.
1. You put off eating too long
Your body gets energy from the food you eat and relies on a steady supply of it. “Every macronutrient – protein, carbohydrates and fat – provides energy, but carbohydrates are the body’s primary and preferred fuel source,” says Caroline Laceyregistered dietitian HuffPost.
Your reserve energy supply only lasts about three to six hours, so going too long without eating triggers biological and psychological mechanisms that fuel your urge to eat. This usually leads to a strong craving for processed carbohydrates, which are foods with high added sugars. And that can make you feel lethargic. “Once your insulin levels spike after eating, your blood sugar levels can then crash and lead to a distinct feeling of being physically exhausted,” explains nutritional psychologist Uma Naidoo out.
2. You watch too many emotional TV shows
Say what?! Yes, this is really true. Do you prefer to binge emotionally charged TV shows? Then this can lead to mental exhaustion, which is caused by trait identification. This means that you temporarily imagine yourself experiencing the same feelings and events of a specific character. “The experience allows people to perceive the world differently and access different emotional capacities that they could not experience before,” explains psychiatrist Leela R. Magavi out.
If you continuously experience different emotions while watching these programs, you may experience increased arousal. “It then takes extra mental effort to dampen these signals,” adds the psychiatrist Tyson Lippe On.
3. You plan appointments too far in advance
Planning is useful, but only to a certain extent. “Planning in advance ensures that you make time for a task without forgetting or double-scheduling. But if you plan too much, it can give you too little flexibility and force you to live in the future instead of the present,” Lippe said.
4. You always answer the phone immediately
“Phone conversations can be tiring. Your nervous system not only has to process a change in task by flipping a switch, but also tries to process the conversation you’re having without facial cues and body language, which forces your brain to work overtime,” explains neurologist Rana Mafee out. And did you know that after a phone call it can take more than 20 minutes before you can fully concentrate again?
From now on, first consider whether you really have the time to take that one phone call.
Bron: HuffPost | Beeld: Karolina Grabowska (Pexels)
2023-10-07 14:30:30
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